The Israeli Defense Minister has apologized to the US Secretary of State after Israel's biggest-selling newspaper quoted him as describing John Kerry's diplomatic quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace as "messianic" and "obsessive".

"Secretary of State John Kerry – who has come to us
determined and is acting out of an incomprehensible obsession and
a messianic feeling – cannot teach me a single thing about the
conflict with the Palestinians," Yaalon, a former military
chief of staff and close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, was quoted as saying in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper
on Tuesday.

"The only thing that can save us is if Kerry wins the Nobel
Prize and leaves us alone," he added, speaking during an
alleged closed-door meeting before Kerry’s most recent visit. The
minister was also reported to state that the US security plan is
"not worth the paper it's written on."

Moshe Yaalon's closed-door remarks, published on the front page
of the popular Israeli newspaper, drew condemnation from
Washington and added to outrage over Jewish settlement of
occupied West Bank land where the Palestinians seek statehood.
The comments came ahead of another visit by Kerry to try and
broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Although Yaalon was first silent about the reaction his words
provoked, he chose to ease diplomatic tensions only after the
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized him.

The Israeli Defense Minister issued an apologetic statement of
his deep appreciation for the US and, several hours later,
another one praising Kerry.

"Israel and the United States share a common goal to advance
the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians led by
Secretary Kerry," it said, in Hebrew and English.
"The defense minister had no intention to cause any offence to
the secretary, and he apologizes if the secretary was offended by
the remarks attributed to the minister."

The US State Department termed Yallon’s initial comments
offensive.

“The remarks of the Defense Minister [Moshe Yaalon], if
accurate, are offensive and inappropriate especially given all
that the United States is doing to support Israel's security
needs,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney denounced the reports in a
similar fashion. "To question Secretary Kerry's motives and
distort his proposals is not something we would expect from the
defense minister of a close ally," Carney told AP.

The reprimand from the US to Israel is rare, considering Israel’s
close alignment with the US on matters of security and
international policy. Following Yallon’s comments, Israel’s chief
negotiator and Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, accused him of
damaging bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also attempted to smooth the
friction.

“Our ties with the United States are of great strategic value
to the State of Israel. We thank the president of the United
States, Barack Obama, for his responsiveness to our
security,” said Netanyahu, according to Yedioth daily.

Yaalon generally sits beside Netanyahu during the peace process
talks with Kerry, and is known for casting doubt on any
aspirations towards resolving the conflict. He argues that
“we are the only side to have given anything – the release of
murderers – and the Palestinians have given nothing.”

As the report with his comments was going viral, Yaalon told
students in southern Israel: “Even if there are differences
and friction within various discussions, and there are, they must
not affect the interests or common goals of Israel and the United
States.” However, he did not directly refer to the
publication.

Meanwhile, on Friday Israel published tenders for 1,400 new homes
in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which once again
putting the US-brokered push for a peace deal between the Jewish
state and the Palestinians under threat.

The Palestinians, who want to build an independent state in East
Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, abandoned by Israel
in 2005, see settlements as a major obstacle to the peace process
brokered by the US. It was the settlements issue, which led to a
breakdown of the previous round of talks between the sides back
in 2010.